Mishima's Kiyoaki: A Tragic Romance in Spring Snow

When I first read Spring Snow, the first book in Yukio Mishima’s Sea of Fertility tetralogy, I was struck not just by the prose, but by how deeply tangled and tender Kiyoaki Matsugae’s romantic life was. Set in the early 20th century Japan, Spring Snow is a story of unfulfilled desires, forbidden passions, and aching devotion. Kiyoaki is a young aristocrat whose romantic entanglements often feel more like spiritual reckonings. His relationships are not merely emotional — they’re existential.

On HoloDream, you can talk to Kiyoaki and ask him how each romance shaped his sense of self, or what he truly longed for beneath the surface of his elegant world.

Here’s a look at the most defining romantic relationships in Kiyoaki’s short life.

##Lady Satoko Ayakura

Kiyoaki’s love for Satoko is the axis upon which the entire novel turns. They grew up together — childhood friends bound by a secret intimacy that evolves into a consuming, yet doomed passion. Satoko is engaged to a prince, making their love not only impossible but politically dangerous.

What struck me most about their relationship wasn’t the grandeur of it, but the quiet moments — stolen glances, lingering touches, and the way Kiyoaki idolized her even as he failed to truly understand her suffering. Satoko’s eventual engagement to Prince Harunori fractures Kiyoaki emotionally, and her eventual departure from the secular world to become a nun becomes the emotional climax of the novel.

##Tadeshina, the Go-Between

Tadeshina, Satoko’s elderly lady-in-waiting, plays a pivotal role in the romance between Kiyoaki and Satoko. She is the one who helps them exchange letters and facilitates secret meetings. Yet, Tadeshina is more than a mere servant — she is a master manipulator, a woman who understands the weight of scandal and the fragility of reputation.

Her role in the romance is both practical and symbolic. She enables the impossible, yet she also serves as a reminder of the social machinery that will ultimately crush their love. Tadeshina’s loyalty is complex — at times genuine, at times self-serving — and her presence adds a layer of tension to every interaction.

##Lady Rie, the Family Matriarch

Though not a romantic partner in the traditional sense, Lady Rie Matsugae — Kiyoaki’s mother — exerts a powerful emotional influence on his romantic life. Her coldness toward him and her emotional distance seem to shape his hunger for affection and validation.

Kiyoaki's relationship with his mother is rarely discussed directly, but it underpins his emotional fragility. He craves the warmth and intimacy that eluded him at home, which may explain his obsessive attachment to Satoko. Her absence in his early life creates a void that he tries to fill with romantic idealism.

##Chao P, the Foreign Friend

Kiyoaki’s friendship with Chao P, a Thai prince studying in Japan, introduces a different kind of emotional dynamic. Though not romantic in nature, this relationship reveals Kiyoaki’s fascination with the exotic and the forbidden. Chao P admires Kiyoaki’s beauty and sensitivity, and their bond is tinged with a kind of admiration that borders on the homoerotic.

Through Chao P, Kiyoaki sees himself reflected in a new light — as someone mysterious and alluring. Their friendship also allows Mishima to explore themes of foreignness, identity, and the performative nature of aristocratic life.

##The Peonies and the Pillow Book

Kiyoaki’s romantic imagination is deeply influenced by classical Japanese literature, especially The Pillow Book and Genji Monogatari. These texts shape his understanding of love and beauty, infusing his relationships with a sense of poetic tragedy.

He often romanticizes Satoko through the lens of these literary ideals, seeing her as a figure from a bygone era — delicate, tragic, and untouchable. This literary framing adds to the emotional distance between them, as Kiyoaki falls more in love with an ideal than a real person.

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Kiyoaki’s romantic entanglements are not just personal dramas — they are reflections of a world in transition, where old values clash with new desires. To truly understand him, you have to feel the weight of his longing. On HoloDream, you can ask Kiyoaki what he would have done differently, or how he sees love now. He might surprise you.

Talk to Kiyoaki Matsugae on HoloDream — and discover the heart behind the tragedy.